Mission & Core Values
our mission
Who We Are
“Difficult Journey – Transition to Bethlehem”
by Fritz von Uhde (1890)
In a city that pursues arrival, New St. Peter’s exists to make disciples by inviting pilgrims and skeptics into life on the road with Jesus.
Our city’s gods (wealth, status, comfort, image) are all oriented toward one goal: arriving at “the good life.” And yet throughout church history, Christians have seen themselves as pilgrims, travelers on the road answering Jesus’ call to take up their cross and follow him (Luke 9.23). The good news of the gospel is that even on the road to our final home, Jesus provides rest through faith in himself (Matthew 11.28). We invite you to experience the rest Jesus provides on this homeward journey.
our core values
What We Do
Worship
The church is an outpost of heaven on earth, and nowhere is this more evident than in its worship. So, even on the road with Jesus, we taste home each Lord’s Day in the worship gathering, as we feed on Christ through His preached word, the sacraments, fellowship, and prayer. (Matthew 11.8–29)
Suffering
Life on the road with Jesus entails both compassion and courage. We suffer together and rejoice together (1 Cor. 12.26) with compassion as we experience life in a broken world. We also pray for the courage to embrace the cost of discipleship (Luke 9.57-62) as we proclaim the good news of the kingdom of Christ. (Luke 9.22–23)
Calling
On the road, Jesus has given each of his disciples particular callings, so that as we disperse from one another each week, we do not cease to be the church. Instead, we are sent out into our neighborhoods as ambassadors of truth and love in every sphere of life. (John 20.21)
Membership
To be “membered” is to belong to a people and a place for as long as the Lord in his providence allows. On the road with Jesus, we belong to him, and we belong to one another, seeking to call one another to the beauty of that belonging, and to the reconciliation that belonging entails. (John 17.20-21)
our creed
What We Believe
As members of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), we use the historic confession of Presbyterianism—The Westminster Confession of Faith. The Confession is subordinate to Scripture, but we believe it represents a faithful summary of the system of doctrine taught in Scripture. It does not have the same authority as the Bible, but it is biblical and therefore holds serious authority for Presbyterians. ‘Confessional’ means that we are not making things up as we go. We have been handed down a clearly articulated theology drawn from Scripture and applicable for Christian living.
We welcome questions and discussion with our pastors about our confessional standards.
The Rooster
The rooster is a common Christian symbol, used throughout the history of the church to tell the story of St. Peter’s denial of Christ on the night he was betrayed. Peter was a brash and bold disciple, and a dear friend of Jesus, but in his doubt and fear he denied his Lord three times before the rooster’s crow early on that Good Friday morning. But the rooster clutches the cross, clinging to the hope of Jesus’ great mercy for doubters and deniers like us. Because Jesus Christ has died as if He were the worst of doubters, the worst of deniers, we are free to cling to His cross and to follow him on the pilgrim road. Jesus forgave and restored Peter shortly after His resurrection, and it was in the hope of this restoration that our church—New St. Peter’s—was born in 2003.